Looking back at the longtime history of the Chicago Cubs franchise, it is not hard to believe that the roots of the team run back to the year of 1876. One of the original National League teams, the Chicago franchise was initially known as the White Stockings. Among other team names, the Cubs were at other points called the Colts and Orphans before settling on their current name in time for the 1903 season. On January 14, 1892, a lifetime of excessive drinking finally caught up with a very important member of the early Chicago franchise. Frank "Silver" Flint was a longtime catcher and 5 time National League champion with the White Stockings (1880-1882, 1885-1886). He also briefly managed the club in 1879, a post that only three others held before him (56 have held the title after him).

Statistics wise, nothing particularly stands out for the 13 year MLB veteran. He did play in more games (63) than any other player in the National League in 1878 while playing for the Indianapolis Blues. As a catcher, he had the opportunity to catch a couple of the greats to ever throw a baseball, including John Clarkson (profiled in Bases Empty Blog...

...), Larry Corcoran and others. An easy question to ask is- How easy was it to be a catcher in the time that SIlver Flint played? I am not going to say this man played in the time where there was no protective equipment because that is simply not true. However, in Flint's first MLB season of 1875 for the National Association's St Louis Blue Stockings, there was no evidence of protective equipment being used by catchers. The position at the time, was played with the catcher staying far away from home plate and retrieving the ball from the backstop off the ground after it was pitched. Over the time Flint played, the evolution of protective equipment went from mouth guards to having face masks and eventually shin guards and chest protectors. In the 1880s, catchers started to crowd closer to the plate- putting themselves in great danger. This happened to be right in the middle of Flint's career. Being a catcher at that time was something few wanted to do. In fact, few that played the position would end up having long careers. It certainly took a tough ballplayer to handle the position. In addition, catchers commonly made more errors than any other position, understandably. If the physical abuse wasn't enough, the mental effects of the extra runs being allowed to score had to take its tole on the catcher. It is also easy to understand why it was difficult for catchers of that time to hit, even with the gradual advancements in technology. The fact that Silver Flint was a five time NL Champion and one and a half time World Series Champion (the 1885 World Series ended in a tie, they won the 1886 WS) and a pioneer of his position should make up for the fact that his numbers for his 13 year career were not so dominant. It also needs to be brought up that few were able to handle the position for as many consecutive seasons as he did at that time. Also interesting is the fact that Flint played just about every inning of every game for his first 6 seasons, which was unheard of. For his career, Flint hit .236 with 687 hits, 295 RBI (RBI was a legitimate stat in the pre-live ball era) and his .595 OPS is an indication that his defense took a tole on his offense. Like many people, not just athletes, at the time, Flint was a heavy drinker. After he finished playing, it was probably not a good idea for him to open up a bar. But who am I to complain about it some 125 years later? It was the drink that killed Frank "Silver" Flint on January, 14, 1892. RIP

Big time NHL Hockey fans spend a lot of time talking about the league's original six teams. Though the fact that the New York Rangers, Boston Bruins, Chicago Blackhawks, Toronto Maple Leafs, Detroit Red Wings and Montreal Canadians have this distinction, only the Canadians were around in 1909. The origins of the earliest MLB teams are traced back to the late 1800s, where there are eight National League teams that are still around now. I dropped it to seven because the Brooklyn franchise (now the Los Angeles Dodgers) franchise came into fruition the latest, in 1884. With competitive leagues like the American Association losing their "major league" title, it meant the end to franchises that had runs prior to the turn of the 20th century. The American League started in 1901, with several of the teams still existing today. In the NL, cities like Louisville, Baltimore, Cleveland and Washington had teams that were dropped after the 1899 season. So here are the original six MLB teams, starting with the earliest of the teams. The Chicago franchise started itself in 1876 when they were known as the Chicago White Stockings. They remained the White Stockings until 1889 and were known as the Colts from 1890-1897. They were then known as the Orphans from 1898-1902. Of course, they have been known as the Cubs from 1903 to this current season. The team now known as the Atlanta Braves is the only one of the eight that has been through three cities. Some may not know the franchise started in 1876, as the Boston Red Stockings until 1882. From 1883-1906, they were known as the Boston Beaneaters and from 1907-1910, the Boston Doves. After being called the Rustlers for the 1911 season, they became the Boston Braves from 1912-1935, then again from 1941-1952. They were the Boston Bees from 1936-1951. They moved to Milwaukee for the 1953 season and were the Milwaukee Braves until 1965. Since 1966, they have been known as the Atlanta Braves. What is now the St Louis Cardinals started in 1882 as the St Louis Brown Stockings. The next year, they were known simply as the St Louis Browns. That lasted through 1898. For the 1899 season, they were known as the Perfectos. From 1900 until this current date, they have been known as the St Louis Cardinals. The Pittsburgh franchise has only had one other nickname. From 1882-1890, they were known as the Alleghenys. Since 1891, they have been known as the Pittsburgh Pirates. One of the historically popular teams have been the Cincinnati Reds franchise. They had the long standing history of playing the first game in the major leagues, something that lasted until recently. Sticking with the "Stockings" theme, they were known as the Cincinnati Red Stockings from 1882-1889. From 1890-1953 and 1960 to the current time, they have been known as the Cincinnati Reds. From 1954-1959, they were known as the Cincinnati Redlegs. The NL Philadelphia team has been around since 1883. They were known as the Philadelphia Quakers from 1883-1889 and the Philadelphia Phillies since 1890. The last team that still exists from 1883 are the franchise that is now known as the San Francisco Giants. From 1883-1884, they were known as the New York Gothams. From 1885-1957, they were known as the New York Giants. Since 1958, this team has been the San Francisco Giants. In the original eight, the franchise now known as the Los Angeles Dodgers started in 1884. They were then known as the Brooklyn Atlantics. From 1885-1887, they were known as the Brooklyn Grays. From 1888-1890 and 1896-1898, the team was referred to as the Brooklyn Bridegrooms. From 1891-1895, the team was simply the Brooklyn Grooms. The team was called the Brooklyn Superbas from 1899-1910 and for the 1913 season. For the 1911 andd 1912 seasons, they were known as the Brooklyn Dodgers, before becoming the Brooklyn Robins from 1914-1931. They were called the Dodgers again from 1932-1957 until they moved to LA and became the Los Angeles Dodgers as they exist today. If the National League existed with just those eight teams, as expansion did not come until 1962, there could be two divisions. I would have put Boston, Philadelphia and the two NY teams in the same division with St Louis, Pittsburgh, Cincinnati and Chicago in the other division. Of course, division play did not exist until 1969, where there was a second series of expansion with the Padres and the Expos.